1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to golf swing training devices, specifically to such devices which are used for improving the swing of a golfer.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the golf swing, there is a perfect plane and path that a club must follow in order to hit a ball straight. Many inventors of golf swing training devices have tried to develop a way of perfecting the swing plane. A device for guiding the swing of a golfer from the address position to the apex of the back swing to the forward swing until contact with the ball.
Originally, many of these devices were made to restrict or stabilize a part of the golfer's body so as to coordinate the swing. The devices forced golfers to conform to the devices' physical restrictions, thus creating artificially produced swings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,841 to Brooks (1989) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,306 to Staats and Corder, Jr. (1995) disclose devices which can control a golfer's swing; however, these devices make for an unnatural swing. This problem was addressed and partially solved by the introduction of guide structures that do not constrain, but these had and still have significant problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,761 to Brock and Foster (1994) is a guide structure device that does not constrain, however, it is cumbersome and complex. The device is not portable and simple of structure, two factors that golfers want. U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,643 to Cushing (1983) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,528 to McCardle, Jr. (1992) are guiding structure devices that are portable and simple of structure, but have other problems. Cushing's device is rigid and awkward to use. McCardle's device requires a person to hold it with his or her hands, thus not allowing a person to swing a club while using the device.
Although visual swing aids do not restrict or constrain a golfer's body movements, they do not physically guide the golfer through his or her swing. A golfer must rely on visual cues rather than training muscle memory. Focusing on visual cues does not allow the golfer to keep his or her eyes on a ball, which is a basic tenant of a good golf swing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,121 to Gipson and Wilkerson (1993) is an example of such a device.
Lastly, alignment devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,203 to Shub (1997), address visually aligning a person with a distant target when addressing a golf ball. They do not, however, address the motion and path of a golfer through his or her swing.